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What makes something go viral?

Join us for the fourth talk in our Move with the Current lecture series - topical talks by leading academics.

What makes something go viral? by Dr Terhi Nurmikko-Fuller

From the black and blue/white and gold dress to the screaming goat meme, there are plenty of examples of internet phenomena that have gone viral. But why does some content, out of the vast number of things published online every day, generate millions of views while other content goes unnoticed?

In this talk, Dr Terhi Nurmikko-Fuller will explain how a piece of online content succeeds in capturing the world's imagination - and how we can apply this knowledge in our own lives.

Dr Terhi Nurmikko-Fuller is a lecturer in Digital Humanities at the Australian National University. Her research interests are in the interdisciplinary field of the Digital Humanities, including the use of the Linked Data paradigm to publish information regarding the ephemera of jazz performance, library metadata, and ancient Mesopotamian literary compositions online in a machine-navigable format (RDF). She has also researched the role of gamification and informal online environments play in the learning process, and most recently, has used photogrammetry to create 3D digital models of cuneiform tables, carved boab nuts, and animal skulls.

She has published on the effect the migration of government services to the Web has had on elderly users, and on the phenomena of the public outpour of grief on social media at the event of the passing of a celebrity figure. Terhi was elected as a Fellow of the Software Sustainability Institute in 2016, and she is a current member of the Australian Government Linked Data Working Group.

The Pop-Up Village is open for dinner before and after the event. Grab a bite and a drink and feel free to enjoy in the Club prior to the talk. Doors will open 30 minutes prior, so drop in early and grab a good seat!